SMS 2003 Supported Configurations
This document specifies the hardware and software requirements necessary to implement and maintain Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 in your environment.
You can find content specific to the changes in Service Pack 2 (SP2) by searching this document for the text string *SP2.
Server Hardware Requirements
The following table shows the minimum hardware requirements for servers running SMS 2003.
Hardware Component |
Requirement |
---|---|
Microprocessor |
550 MHz or faster; Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or compatible processor recommended (up to 8 CPUs per server) |
Memory |
256 MB of RAM |
Hard disk |
2 GB of available hard disk space on an NTFS partition |
Drive |
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive |
Display |
Windows 2000-compatible video graphics adapter |
Peripheral |
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device, or hardware that supports console redirection |
Network |
Network adapter |
Server Platform Requirements
This section provides tables and information about supported platforms for site system roles and requirements for site servers and the SMS Administrator console.
To install SMS, you need at least one computer set up as a primary site server. The requirements for your site server vary according to the size and configuration of your site. You can assign other site system roles later, as required.
Note
In SMS, a site system is a server or a share that provides functionality to the SMS site.
Supported Platforms
The SMS site server and site system roles must be installed on computers running one of the following operating systems:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
*SP2 Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 SP2*
Microsoft SMS 2003 support for server operating systems requires that the most current server operating system or the immediately preceding operating system service pack is installed.
Microsoft will provide 12 months of support for a service pack after the successor service pack is released. Support may be extended to 24 months for those service packs where Microsoft believes customers will need additional time for testing and deployment.
To verify the service pack support dates, visit the Lifecycle Supported Service Packs Web site. For additional information about Microsoft’s support lifecycle policy, visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Support Policy FAQ Web site.
Server Software Requirements
Internet Information Services (IIS) must be installed and enabled as part of the Windows Server installation for certain SMS site system roles. See Table 2 for descriptions of site system role prerequisites.
*SP2 Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.SP2*
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 with Service Pack 3 or later, SQL Server 2000 with Service Pack 3a or later or *SP2 Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP2* is required for the SMS site database system role.
*SP2 For SMS 2003 SP2, all site server roles must be installed on servers running Windows 2000 SP4 or later. SP2*
Prerequisites for Site System Roles
The following table lists the prerequisites for setting up client access points, distribution points, management points, reporting points, and server locator points.
Site system |
Prerequisite |
---|---|
Client access point |
At least one NTFS partition must be available. SMS 2003 does not support CAPs on non-NTFS partitions. |
Distribution point |
To use the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) must be installed and enabled on the site system and the distribution point. IIS is not required if the distribution point will not be BITS-enabled. Enable WebDAV extensions for IIS on Windows Server 2003. |
Management point |
At least one NTFS partition must be available. The site system must have IIS installed and enabled. A management point on Windows Server 2003 requires BITS server extensions to be installed. However, on Windows Server 2000 SP3 systems, management point installation will automatically install BITS server extensions. The Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC) service and the Task Scheduler are required and must be enabled. SQL Server named pipes must be enabled. Advanced security requires SQL Server 2000 SP3a or later. If deploying management points in a Network Load Balanced (NLB) environment, you must manually add a static record to WINS if you have not extended the schema in Active Directory, or if you have Legacy Clients. See Appendix G in the Scenarios & Procedures for SMS 2003: Planning and Deployment product document for more information. |
Reporting point |
The site system must have IIS installed and enabled. Active Server Pages be installed and enabled. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 SP2 or later must be installed on any server or client that uses Report Viewer. To use graphs in reports, Office Web Components (Microsoft Office 2000 SP2, Microsoft Office XP, or Microsoft Office 2003) must be installed. |
Server locator point |
The site system must have IIS installed and enabled. If you have Advanced Clients without Active Directory SMS schema extensions, or if your SMS site hierarchy spans multiple Active Directory forests, you must manually add a static record to WINS for the server locator point. This is also true if you are deploying server locator points in a Network Load Balanced (NLB) environment. See Appendix G in the Scenarios & Procedures for SMS 2003: Planning and Deployment product document for more information. |
Requirements for Site Systems and the SMS Administrator Console
The following table lists the minimum operating system requirements for an SMS site server running SMS 2003 with no service pack, Service Pack 1 (SP1), or Service Pack 2 (SP2).
Operating system |
Remote SMS Administrator console |
Primary site |
Secondary site |
SQL Server 7.0 SP3 |
SQL Server 2000 SP3a |
SQL Server 2005 |
Other SMS site system |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Windows 2000 Professional, SP3 |
SP1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Windows 2000 Professional, SP4 |
All |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Windows 2000 Terminal Server, SP3 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
|
SP1 |
Windows 2000 Terminal Server, SP4 |
All |
All |
All |
All |
All |
SP2 |
All |
Windows 2000 Server, SP3 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
|
SP1 |
Windows 2000 Server, SP4 |
All |
All |
All |
All |
All |
SP2 |
All |
Windows 2000 Advanced Server, SP3 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
|
SP1 |
Windows 2000 Advanced Server, SP4 |
All |
All |
All |
All |
All |
SP2 |
All |
Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, SP3 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
SP1 |
|
SP1 |
Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, SP4 |
All |
All |
All |
All |
All |
SP2 |
All |
Windows XP Professional |
SP1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Windows XP Professional, SP1 |
All |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Windows XP Professional, SP2 |
All |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition |
All |
All |
All |
All |
All |
SP2 |
All |
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, SP1 |
All |
All |
All |
All |
All |
SP2 |
All |
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition |
All |
All |
All |
All |
All |
SP2 |
All |
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, SP1 |
All |
All |
All |
All |
All |
SP2 |
All |
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition |
All |
All |
All |
All |
All |
SP2 |
All |
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, SP1 |
All |
All |
All |
All |
All |
SP2 |
All |
Virtual Server 2005 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
Virtual Server 2005, SP1 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
SP2 |
Note
SMS server roles are not supported on 64-bit operating systems.
Virtual Server 2005 Support
SMS 2003 SP2 supports all site server roles running as virtual machines on Microsoft Virtual Server 2005.
Virtual Server requires a Windows Server 2003 operating system. Therefore, Virtual Server can host operating systems that support the Advanced Client. The host operating system can also support the following SMS server roles:
SMS site server
SMS site database, stored in Microsoft SQL Server
Management point
Client Access Point (CAP)
Distribution points, with or without Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)
Reporting point
Server locator point
Configuration Specifics
SMS 2003 has been extensively tested with the supported operating system versions listed in the Supported Platforms section above. Although SMS 2003 is supported on all of the platforms listed, it is strongly recommended that you upgrade to the latest operating system service pack at your earliest opportunity so that you can take advantage of the included security fixes. If an issue that is exhibited only on an earlier operating system revision is reported to Microsoft and if the root cause of the issue is determined to be an operating system component, the recommended solution to that issue may be to upgrade to a more recent operating system service pack.
All server computers with SMS site server roles should have only NTFS partitions. SMS server-side roles require NTFS file system formatted partitions so that directory and file permissions can be set. SMS site systems running on separate computers cannot share a logical partition on any storage device, but each site system uses a separate logical partition on a physical partition of a shared storage device.
Configurations with overlapping site boundaries are not supported in SMS 2003. If the same IP address appears in two different SMS sites, SMS is unable to determine to which site a client is connected. See the Configuration and Operation of Advanced Client Roaming white paper for additional information.
There is limited support for Microsoft Distributed File System (DFS) in SMS 2003. Distribution points can be targets of a DFS root, but packages must be deployed to the shared folder on the distribution point, not to the DFS link name. Advanced Clients can use programs that point to <DFS root>\<DFS link>\<executable>. Legacy Clients can use only programs that point to shared folders on distribution points, not to DFS links.
Management points and server locator points can be configured to be part of a Network Load Balancing (NLB) cluster. SMS 2003 site server roles are not supported in a Windows or SQL cluster service configuration.
Distribution points can be configured to use a physical node of a Windows Server cluster. Distribution points located on nodes in a cluster cannot leverage a Windows Server cluster for redundancy if the node hosting the distribution point fails.
The SMS 2.0 Administration Feature Pack must be uninstalled before upgrading to SMS 2003.
SMS site servers must be domain members.
Configuration of SMS Administrator console:
A remote SMS administrator console requires a computer with an x86-based or compatible processor and 150 MB of hard disk space.
An SMS Administrator console can run on a server running Terminal Server or through a Terminal Server session.
Until you add the program unsecapp.exe and the port TCP 135 to the list of programs and services on the Exceptions tab of Windows Firewall, the SMS Administrator console cannot display all of the items in the console tree on computers running Windows XP SP2 or Server 2003 SP1 if Windows Firewall is set to On (recommended). For more information about how to configure SMS and Windows Firewall on Windows XP SP2, see the SMS 2003 Technical Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), in the Site Systems/SMS Administrator Console section, and search the Help and Support Center for “Windows Firewall.”
*SP1 An SMS 2003 SP1 site configured for advanced security and in a single Active Directory forest with the schema extended for SMS does not require Windows Internet Name Service (WINS), although NetBIOS must still be enabled on all SMS clients and site servers. This means that in multiple domain environments SMS clients must be configured with a DNS search suffix if they need to resolve SMS server names outside their local domain. SP1*
*SP2 SMS 2003 SP2 adds support for Advanced Clients identifying management points and distribution points by using fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) in addition to NetBIOS-based computer names. Also supported is the use of an FQDN for site sender addresses in addition to NetBIOS computer names.
The use of FQDNs requires an update to the Active Directory schema. This feature is therefore available only for SMS 2003 SP2 environments that are Active Directory-enabled, have extended the Active Directory schema for SMS 2003 SP2, and are publishing SMS data to Active Directory. SP2*
Note
Computers in a workgroup require WINS because they cannot query Active Directory for SMS services (server locator point and management point). While the management point is automatically added in WINS, the server locator point is not, so this record must be manually entered by a WINS Administrator. For information on how to add this record, see Appendix G in Scenarios & Procedures for Microsoft Systems Management: Planning and Deployment.
Important
Active Directory® SMS schema extension is required when WINS is not being used. See the Active Directory Schema Modification and Publication whitepaper for more detailed information.
SMS supports specialized technologies such as Network Attached Storage, Storage Area Networks, and System Area Networks. SMS works with the hardware that is certified on the Windows hardware compatibility list for the supported version of the operating system on which the SMS component is installed. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 307813.
Client Hardware Requirements
The following table shows the minimum hardware requirements for clients running SMS 2003 SP2.
Hardware Component |
Requirement |
---|---|
Microprocessor |
300 MHz or faster recommended, 133 MHz minimum; Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or compatible processor recommended |
Memory |
128 MB of RAM (64 MB supported, but can limit performance and some features |
Hard disk |
80 MB of available hard disk space |
Display |
Super VGA (800×600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor |
Peripheral |
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device |
Network |
Network adapter |
Client Platform Requirements
The following table shows the operating systems that are required for clients running each of the supported SMS client types.
Operating system |
Legacy Client |
Advanced Client |
---|---|---|
Windows 98 |
SP1 |
|
Windows 2000 Professional, SP3 and earlier |
SP1 |
SP1 |
Windows 2000 Professional, SP4 and later |
SP1 |
All |
Windows 2000 Server, SP3 and earlier |
SP1 |
SP1 |
Windows 2000 Server, SP4 and later |
SP1 |
All |
Windows 2000 Advanced Server, SP3 and earlier |
SP1 |
SP1 |
Windows 2000 Advanced Server, SP4 and later |
SP1 |
All |
Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, SP3 and earlier |
SP1 |
SP1 |
Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, SP4 and later |
SP1 |
All |
Windows XP Professional |
SP1 |
SP1 |
Windows XP Professional, SP1 and later |
SP1 |
All |
Windows XP Embedded |
|
All |
Windows Server 2003, Web Edition |
SP1 |
All |
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition |
SP1 |
All |
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition |
SP1 |
All |
The following table shows supported platforms for SMS 2003 SP1 or SP2 advanced clients running in 32-bit mode on x64-based operating systems. The legacy client does not support 64-bit operating systems
Operating System |
AMDEM64T |
Itanium 2 |
---|---|---|
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition |
v |
|
Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition |
v |
|
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition |
v |
|
Windows Server 2003 Datacenter x64 Edition |
v |
|
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition SP1 for Itanium-based Systems |
|
v |
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition SP1 for Itanium-based Systems |
|
v |
Note
The Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) shipped with SMS 2003 SP2 can be used for detection and deployment of Microsoft security updates for 64-bit operating systems.
SMS 2.0 Legacy Clients running on Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 will not upgrade to SMS 2003 SP1.
Windows 2000 SP2 is the earliest supported version of a Windows operating system for Advanced Clients.
SMS 2003 Advanced Clients do not automatically upgrade to the SMS 2003 SP1 or SP2 Advanced Client. If you are upgrading from SMS 2003 to SMS 2003 SP1 or SP2, you can upgrade or replace all clients that have supported operating systems to the SMS 2003 SP1 or SP2 Advanced Client before you upgrade the site by using software distribution to deploy SMS 2003 SP1 Advanced Client software to the clients.
Microsoft SMS 2003 support for client operating systems requires that one of the three most current operating system versions, including service pack, is installed. To verify service pack support dates, visit the Lifecycle Supported Service Packs Web site. For additional information about Microsoft’s support lifecycle policy, visit the Microsoft’s Support Lifecycle Support Policy FAQ Web site.
*SP1 Virtual PC 2004 Support
SMS 2003 SP1 includes client support for managing host operating systems and guest operating systems on computers running Microsoft Virtual PC 2004.
Managing Host Operating Systems
SMS 2003 SP1 supports the Advanced Client running on the host operating system. SMS offers unrestricted support for computers acting as a host operating system. Computers running Virtual PC 2004 can fill any SMS client role.
Virtual PC requires Windows 2000 Professional or Window XP. Therefore, the host operating system supports the Advanced Client. The host operating system can support the SMS 2003 Administrator Console.
No interaction occurs between the Virtual PC host operating system and other applications running on the same computer.
Virtual PC 2004 and Virtual Server 2005 Support Limitations
No direct support for virtual computer images
No support for Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac
SMS will not distinguish a read-only from a write-enabled virtual machine.
SMS 2003 SP1 does not support clients that have been upgraded from an unsupported earlier versions running on virtual machines. For example, upgrading a client from SMS 2.0 or SMS 2003 without a service pack is not supported.
For more information on Virtual PC and Virtual Server usage and configuration, please see Scenarios and Procedures for SMS 2003: Planning and Deployment. SP1*
Computers in a Workgroup
SMS 2003 SP1 and SP2 provide limited support for computers in a workgroup, with the following conditions and exceptions:
Workgroup site servers are not supported.
Workgroup support is for Advanced Clients only.
Clients must use WINS to locate SMS services.
Administrative user rights on the computer are required for installing the SMS client software.
Active Directory discovery and user targeting is not supported.
Advertisements targeted to Active Directory objects, users, or user groups are not supported.
Global roaming is not supported.
Windows XP Embedded Support
SMS client support for the Windows XP Embedded platform requires the SMS 2003 Advanced Client for Windows XP Embedded. Installing the Legacy Client on a computer running Windows XP Embedded is not supported.
For this platform, a specific Windows XP Embedded image must be built with XP Embedded Target Designer, in which the XP Embedded form of the Advanced Client is included. This method helps to ensure that all operating system components that are necessary for a valid SMS 2003 Advanced Client installation are included. The SMS 2003 SP1 Advance Client for Windows XP Embedded is available for download.
*SP1 Windows XP SP2 Support with Limited Functionality
By default, security changes introduced in Windows XP SP2 limit the functionality of SMS 2003 SP1. SP1*
For more information about the SMS Features potentially affected by Windows XP SP2, see the SMS 2003 Technical FAQs Web page.
Client Software Requirements
- Internet Explorer 5.0 or later
Unsupported Operating Systems and Features
The following table provides a summary list and might not include last minute changes to the product. For more information, see the release notes, which contain the most current information about SMS.
Item |
Description |
---|---|
Operating System |
MSDOS computer Microsoft Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11 Microsoft Windows 95 Windows NT 4.0 Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition WinPE (Windows Preinstall) Macintosh operating systems Novell NetWare Microsoft Small Business Server Alpha-based systems |
SQL Server |
SQL Server 7.0 SP2 and earlier SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-bit) SQL Server Yukon Intel IA64-based computers running SQL Server Named instances Clustered configuration |
Other |
Windows Management Instrumentation version 1.10.698 IP version 6 Networks with NetBIOS disabled Windows XP Professional Fast User Switching Windows cluster service Netscape browser Note: Report Viewer and some of the supported SMS client operating systems require components of Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 SP2 or later. The Netscape browser is supported for Internet use and can be configured as the default browser. When you are using the Netscape browser, Microsoft Internet Explorer should not be uninstalled. |
SNMP Event to Trap Translator |
SMS 2003 does not support the SNMP Event to Trap Translator. NOTE: This feature is natively supported in Windows 2000 and later operating systems. |
Note
SMS 2003 does not support managing more than one operating system on a single computer. If there is more than one operating system on a computer, configure the discovery and installation methods that are used, to ensure that the SMS client is installed only on the operating system that must be managed.
Additional Information
The following sections provide information about Microsoft's product support lifecycle for SMS, licensing, and references for additional product documentation.
Support Lifecycle
Microsoft’s SMS 2003 support for server operating systems requires that the most current server operating system or the immediately preceding operating system service pack is installed. Support for client operating systems requires that one of the three most current operating system versions, including service pack, is installed.
Microsoft will provide 12 months of support for a service pack after the successor service pack is released. Support may be extended to 24 months for those service packs where Microsoft believes customers will need additional time for testing and deployment.
To verify the service pack support dates, visit the Lifecycle Supported Service Packs Web site. For additional information about Microsoft’s support lifecycle policy, visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Support Policy FAQ Web site.
Site Licensing and SQL Server Licensing
For information about the SMS and SQL Server licensing requirements, see the SMS end-user license agreement that accompanies your server running SMS.
You can also find this information in the Systems Management Server Web site at How to Buy Information for SMS 2003.
Product Documentation
There are several forms of product documentation available for SMS 2003 SP1:
SMS Administrator Help, which provides information about how to use the SMS Administrator console to manage your sites. To access Administrator Help in the SMS Administrator console, press F1 or right-click any item and click Help.
Release notes, which contain critical information about SMS.
The SMS Online Library, which provides references to product documentation available on the product CD and on the Web.
Links on the SMS Web site at SMS 2003 Product Documentation. On this site, you can find the most up-to-date SMS-related information, such as technical papers, product news, and software updates. The SMS Web site also provides specific information about how to use SMS with other Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Office XP.
Specific documentation titles related to installing and updating SMS 2003: